What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fiber. It can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. In the past, asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance.
How can asbestos affect my health?
From studies of people who were exposed to asbestos in factories and shipyards, we know that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers can lead to an increased risk of:
- Lung cancer
- Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity
- Asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue
The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke. People who get asbestosis have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.
Most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos, as we all are in our daily lives, do not develop these health problems. However, if disturbed, asbestos material may release asbestos fibers, which can be inhaled into the lungs. The fibers can remain there for a long time, increasing the risk of disease. Asbestos material that crumbles easily when handled, or that has been sawed, scraped, or sanded into a powder, is more likely to create a health hazard.
Bruce Environmental offers a wide variety of services in the asbestos field, each performed by fully trained, certified, and experienced supervisors and workers.
- Abatement
- Encapsulation
- Enclosure
- Repair
- Clean-Up
- Operations and Maintenance Programs
Asbestos services include containment by means of encapsulation or abatement of such friable materials as pipe wrap, duct insulation, fireproofing, acoustic ceiling plaster, and boiler jackets, and non-friable materials, including transite siding, roofing, ceiling tile, floor tile, and mastic.
Key Benefits
Trained and experienced supervisors and workers. State-of-the-art procedures and practices. Fully insured and bonded.
Capabilities
Our services provide diverse solutions to your asbestos abatement needs. We can provide a broad range of services to meet your goals, budget, and time constraints.
Capability 1
Removal of friable asbestos containing materials from interior and exterior components.
Capability 2
Removal of non-friable materials including transite, roofing, floor tile, and mastic.
Capability 3
Removal of contaminated soil, repair, enclosure, and encapsulation of asbestos containing materials.